Pregnancy and oral health
Good oral health is an important part of overall health and it is vital to keep in mind when planning a pregnancy and during pregnancy.
It is important to take care of the health of your teeth and mouth, especially when pregnancy-related matters are topical. The man’s oral health also has an impact on fertility. According to studies, oral infections such as periodontitis can complicate the onset of pregnancy. An oral infection can predispose the woman to various pregnancy complications, such as miscarriage, preeclampsia, premature birth and low birth weight of the child.
Periodontitis may be initially asymptomatic
Periodontitis is a common major endemic that progresses with minor symptoms and destroys the connective tissue of the teeth. Periodontitis causes mild symptoms and the disease can progress far without the patient noticing it. If left untreated, the disease leads to tooth loss, damages the entire dentition and has adverse effects on general health.
Oral infections can flourish during pregnancy when the hormonal changes weaken the resistance of the mouth to plaque accumulating on the tooth surface. The expectant mother’s endocrine system undergoes changes, resulting in acidification of the mouth, i.e. the pH of saliva decreases. Saliva prevents the development of cavities by restoring the pH of the mouth from acidic to normal after eating and by helping to restore the minerals dissolved by acids to the tooth surface. When this restorative effect of saliva is weakened, the risk of tooth decay increases and gingivitis can easily develop into periodontitis.
Effects of oral health on the foetus
The pathogens of periodontitis can pass directly from the mouth through the bloodstream to the foetal placenta area and cause, for example, a remote infection. In addition, oral infections can also indirectly affect the foetus-placenta area if the mother’s body reacts to an infection in the mouth or to a low-grade inflammation in the mother’s body caused by periodontitis.
Because of this, cleaning your teeth regularly and ensuring healthy eating habits is especially important. You should start taking care of your mouth and teeth when planning a pregnancy, at the latest.
In addition, in order to ensure the good development of the child’s teeth, the mother should ensure proper calcium and vitamin D intake and other diverse nutrition during pregnancy according to the instructions of the maternity clinic.
Oral health procedures during pregnancy
- Extensive dental treatment procedures should be avoided during pregnancy. Therefore, it is advisable to take care of oral health already at when planning pregnancy and book regular oral examinations at a dentist’s office.
- Basic oral studies and preventive measures for oral diseases can be carried out in the first trimester. In some cases, nausea can make treatment difficult or prevent it altogether.
- If there is a need for corrective treatment, it is best to do it in the middle trimester.
- In the last trimester, procedures need to be avoided, for example, because the position in the dentist’s chair may feel awkward and the baby may put pressure on the internal organs, diaphragm and/or large blood vessels, which may cause dizziness.
- Acute problems can be treated at any stage of pregnancy.
- During pregnancy, the use of painkillers, for example, is limited.
- There is no need to avoid anaesthesia during pregnancy. The gums can be anaesthetised like at any other time.
- X-rays can be taken as needed. It is not necessary to postpone them to after pregnancy. No additional protection is required either. The radiation levels are very small and the radiation does not directly target the abdominal area. Read more about dental X-ray on the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority website.
